4 days Ago
DeMarco Murray upgraded his position group with one of the best running backs available in the transfer portal. Former Cal running back Jaydn Ott announced his commitment to Oklahoma, the program announced on Instagram on Tuesday. In three years on the West Coast, Ott totaled 2,597 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns, adding 736 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.
Ott burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2022, rushing for 897 yards and eight scores on 170 carries. He built on that showing in 2023, rushing or a career-high 1,315 yards and 12 scores. Ott injured his ankle in the 2024 season opener which sidelined him for three games and hampered him throughout the rest of the year.
Still, he played through the setback, rushing for 385 yards and four scores on 116 carries and catching 24 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown. Oklahoma’s running back room has been yearning for somebody to take over as RB1 since Eric Gray departed to the NFL. Gavin Sawchuk led the Sooners in rushing in 2023 with 744 yards, but he didn’t hit his stride until the middle of the year.
Before Sawchuk got healthy, Tawee Walker , Marcus Major and Jovantae Barnes split carries and the results were underwhelming. Offensive line struggles and injuries meant 2024 offered little clarity. Barnes looked to finally break through and play the best football of his career against Ole Miss and Maine, but an injury against the Black Bears effectively ended his season.
Sawchuk never truly came online last year. Freshman Taylor Tatums’ highs were outweighed by his struggles in pass protection and his fumbling issue, clearing the path for Xavier Robinson to break out against Missouri and Alabama. Ott gives the Sooners a bonafide leader who can hit home runs both on the ground and through the air.
The best rushing total of his career came as a freshman. He carried the ball 19 times for 274 yards and three scores in Cal’s 49-31 win over Arizona. He then rushed for 100 yards or more in five different games in 2023, including a 21 carry, 153-yard rushing performance for three touchdowns in Cal’s 50-49 loss to USC.
Ott caught three passes for 75 yards and a score in Cal’s 39-38 loss to Miami last year. He also ran for 73 yards against Florida State, 79 yards and 26 receiving yards against Syracuse and 84 rushing yards in the LA Bowl defeat to UNLV. The 6-foot-0, 205-pound running back will have one year of eligibility remaining.
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